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Tuesday

Slamdance Festival Announces Slate

This just in from Slamdance, the sister fest at Sundance. These films are more DIY than Sundance, and Adam Rifkin and Penn Jillette's crowdfunded "Director's Cut" opens the festival. As you can see from the titles, always good to get one or two actors in the film that are easy to promote, or can help with it - as actors don't like to sit at home and twiddle their thumbs while their friends hit the slopes in Park City. Queen Mimi is screening as well, a Santa Monica film about a local homeless woman - made by a barrista with a big heart, it's an excellent film if you get a chance to see it.

Slamdance has announced its Special Screenings, Beyond, and Shorts programs for their 22nd Film Festival. The programs present bold DIY films by a variety of filmmakers from all over the world and include 23 World, 13 North American, and 13 U.S. Premieres.

This year, several Slamdance Alumni return with feature presentations in the Beyond program, including Axel Ranisch’s “Alky Alky” and Daniel Martinico’s “Excursions.”

The 2016 Oscar-qualifying shorts competition showcases 39 American and 32 international productions in the Narrative, Documentary, Animation, Anarchy and Experimental sections. All Slamdance films are programmed entirely from blind submissions by the Slamdance filmmaking community.

“The Slamdance Special Screenings section this year is a mix of higher profile work, remarkable talent and a film we thought truly deserved further exposure. Our closing night choice of Claire Carre’s ‘Embers’ is not a premier but so what. We’re far more interested getting behind a visionary film from a woman director we are excited to support and help expand her career and audience reach,” said Slamdance’s Paul Rachman, who programs the Special Screenings lineup.

Films in the Beyond program, made by emerging narrative and documentary filmmakers working beyond their first features, are eligible for the Audience awards. Jury awards are presented to short films in all categories and every 2016 Slamdance filmmaker is eligible for the Spirit of Slamdance Award, judged by the filmmakers themselves.

“Slamdance democratically selects a slate of short films exclusively from blind submissions with the goal of identifying unknown short film artists comprising both skilled visionaries and raw talents. We are privileged to play a role in launching the work of such an exciting group of filmmakers from around the globe who will continue to make vital, challenging work for years to come,” added shorts programmer Randall Good.

The 2016 Slamdance Film Festival will take place from Jan. 22-28 in Park City, Utah at the Treasure Mountain Inn, located at 255 Main Street. All Access/Industry, Local’s and Student Festival Passes are available now online. Individual tickets will be available starting Dec. 28. To purchase, click here.

How to Plan an Orgy in a Small Town – Director & Screenwriter: Jeremy LaLonde(Canada) US PremiereWhen a famous sex columnist attempts to host an orgy with old high school acquaintances in her conservative hometown, keeping secrets becomes the least of her problems.Cast: Jewel Staite, Ennis Esmer, Lauren Lee Smith, Katharine Isabelle, Mark O’Brien, Jonas Chernick, Kristian Bruun, Tommie-Amber Pirie

My Enemies – Director: Stéphane Géhami; Screenwriters: Stéphane Géhami, Héloïse Masse(Canada) US PremiereFurious after losing his girlfriend and his publishing deal, Cédric, a young novelist, is captivated by the piano playing of Isabelle, a much older alcoholic living in a home full of lost souls.Cast: Louise Marleau, Frédéric Lemay, Hubert Proulx, Jean-François Casabonne, Étienne Pilon, Maxime Gaudette, Francis La Haye, Maxime Mailloux

The Successor – Director & Screenwriter: Mattia Epifani, Francesco Lefons(Italy) North American PremiereA former arms manufacturer travels to Bosnia to reflect upon the legacy of the land-mine business he inherited from his father and pay penance for the destruction it caused.Cast: Vito Alfieri Fontana, Nijaz Memic, Senaid Abdihodeic, Rarija Besic

NARRATIVE SHORTS PROGRAM

And Nothing Happened – Director & Screenwriter: Naima Ramos-Chapman(USA) World PremiereA young woman juggles between the mundane and the extraordinary in an attempt to leave her NYC apartment.Cast: Naima Ramos-Chapman, Jamilya Ramos-Chapman, Angela Silverio, Carl Rube

The Beast – Director & Screenwriter: Daina Oniunas Pusic(Croatia)A hundred year old woman and her 75-year old daughter have a tense but familiar relationship. A bat flies in to their home and the equilibrium will be forever changed.Cast: Marija Kohn, Doris Šaric Kukuljica

Darkest Moon – Director: Kasper Skovsbøl; Screenwriters: Amalie Næsby, Kasper Skovsbøl(Denmark) World PremiereAnna must decide whether she wants to protect her daughter, and risk of being ostracized, or believe in the accusations of her being a witch and sentence her own child to death.Cast: Karen-Lise Mynster, May Simón Lifschitz, Anders Hove, Peter Plaugborg,

De Smet – Directors & Screenwriters: Thomas Baerten, Wim Geudens(Netherlands)The brothers ‘De Smet’ have created a system to live their lives as singles in the most comfortable way possible.Cast: Tom Audenaert, Sven De Ridder, Stefaan Degand, Jessica Zeylmaker

Gang – Director & Screenwriter: Clayton Vomero(USA)Three young people in Staten Island, New York, search for meaning and identity over the length of a single day.Cast: Mela Murder, Infinite Coles, Denasia Moore

Goodnight Birdy – Director: Zara Zerny; Screenwriters: Morten Pape, Zara Zerny(Denmark) North American PremiereWhen Greta’s husband dies, she is convinced she will die from sorrow. But the heart has its ways of surviving.Cast: Elsebeth Steentoft

Skank – Director & Screenwriter: Sophie Francesca(New Zealand, UK) US PremiereIn a cheap living room in small-town New Zealand a children’s birthday party is in full swing. While the kids are caught up in the ecstasy of the party, young mum Hayley is entangled in more ‘adult’ affairs.Cast: William Alexander, Bella Baughan, Vincent Andrew-Scammell, Sophie Francesca

Tisure – Director: Adrian Geyer; Screenwriter: Proyecto JFS(Venezuela) North American PremiereIn the lonely mountains of Venezuela, a couple’s problems are both diminished and brought to the surface by the vastness of their surroundings.Cast: Alcione Guerrero, Daniel Isaac

Becoming Blair – Director: Bri Barsalou(USA) World PremiereBlair is a transgender young adult living in Texas and transitioning with mixed reactions from his conservative parents.Cast: Blair Hanner, Sue Hanner, Karl Hanner

Heavy Fog Tonight – Director: Nathan Reich(USA)Conrad Milster is an 80 year old chief engineer at New York’s oldest running steam power plant, preserving an era long forgotten while adjusting to the digital world around him.Cast: Conrad Milster

If Mama Ain’t Happy, Nobody’s Happy – Director: Mea de Jong(Netherlands)“If you want to make a film about independent women, shouldn’t you make a film about our family?” And so mother and daughter embark on a journey together to make a portrait about the four generations who all managed without a man.

A Passion of Gold and Fire – Director & Screenwriter: Sébastien Pins(Belgium)A beekeeper in Belgium worries about the future of his apiary school.Cast: Fontignie André

Repoman – Director: Giacomo Gex; Screenwriters: Giacomo Gex, Bruno Gex(USA)A day in the life of a repoman in Los Angeles, USA.Cast: Andrew De Palma

Rotatio – Director: Ian McClerin(USA) World PremiereA young woman transforms her experience of trauma into a powerfully poetic meditation, challenging her transgressions and the purpose of art.Cast: Shannon May Mackenzie

Stems – Director & Screenwriter: Ainslie Henderson(UK) US PremiereFor a brief moment, stop motion puppets crafted from found objects make beautiful music and then as quickly as they came to life, return to being inanimate objects.

Temporary Color – Director: John Wilson(USA) World PremiereA filmmaker hired to follow David Byrne on tour finds a capable and better equipped documentary crew already in place and decides to take a more whimsical behind the scenes look while musing about the escaped convicts potentially looming nearby in upstate New York and Canada.Cast: David Byrne, Bill Ross, Turner Ross

Water Ghost* – Director & Screenwriter: Wen Li(USA) North American PremiereA stranger jumps off a bridge, committing suicide, setting off a journey to find the men who fish bodies out of the Yuanjiang River and the meaning of death, loss and life.

The Wear of Agony – Director: Mariano Rentería Garnica(Mexico) US PremiereA visual waltz through the spaces, people and objects of the working class in Mexico, where reality and dreams dance in dialogue.

*out of competition

ANIMATION SHORTS PROGRAM

Bottom Feeders (pictured above) – Director & Screenwriter: Matt Reynolds(USA)Two fictional species try to make it through the day in this bleak parody of the natural world.

Flaws – Director: Josh Shaffner(USA)An autobiographical, surreal rant about years spent in the service industry.

The Past Inside the Present – Director & Screenwriter: James Siewert(USA) World PremiereAn allegorical tale of a couple who attempt to renew their dying relationship by plugging directly into recordings of their memories.Cast: Schuyler Helford, Miles Joris-Peyrafitte

Ripple – Director: Conner Griffith(USA) North American PremiereThe shapes we make. An advertisement for planet earth.

Still Life – Director: Kevin Eskew(USA) North American PremiereEt tu doggy? Synchronicity strikes in the suburban Midwest.

Gray Hairs – Director: Annapurna Kumar(USA)In 2013, the Apache helicopter’s targeting systems were updated from standard definition black and white to high-resolution color video, touted as a boost to pilot safety and US military dominance.

Infrastructures – Director: Aurèle Ferrier(Switzerland)A journey through infrastructures that are common to an everyday reality of routine, but presented as completely deserted.

Jus Soli – Director: Somebody Nobody Collective(UK) North American PremiereThis film opens up a discourse on the Black British experience, interrupting the emotional transition between generations and questioning what it means to be British.Cast: Nicholas Pinnock

The Neutral Zone – Director: LJ Frezza(USA) World PremiereA historical survey of the utopias described in “Star Trek: The Next Generation” (1987-1994). This catalog of doorways, walls, and rooms might define our understanding of possible futures.

Notes from the Interior – Director: Benjamin Balcom(USA)How do you describe the complexities of being a body? A wandering through the self, an associative search for secrets.

Disco Inferno – Director & Screenwriter: Alice Waddington(Spain)A weary hell minion is on a mission to rescue her boss. But the Devil is not willing to return to her daily routine.Cast: Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, Ana Rujas, Olivia Baglivi

Double-Blind No.1 – Director: The Double-Blind Experiments(Australia)Five VFX artists set out to test the theory that a fine-art technique relying on chance could be applied to a motion piece.Cast: Samantha Roy, Zenon Kohler, Ricky Marks

Jennifer Hitchcock’s “Dreams Deferred: The Struggle for Peace and Justice in Israel and Palestine”

Ike Ahloe's "Clocked In"

Brian Paul Higgins “CURE FOR THE CRASH”

Nicholas Plagman’s “THE HAM SANDWICH THAT CHANGED THE WORLD”

Robin North & Kelly Preeper's "Dead Saints"

Mirel Bran’s “ONE-WAY ROUND TRIP” (Romania)

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The mother of all film festivals opens today in the Cote' D'azur. For DIY Filmmakers it may seem like a long way off - but fear not...

Be Good To Eddie Lee

Citizen Mayor trailer

Securitate Hunter

Bathing and the Single Girl

CALL FOR ENTRIES!!!!

CALL FOR ENTRIESThe International Film Festival Submission System

CALL FOR ENTRIES

The International Film Festival Submission System

The DIY Film Festival prefers paperless entries submitted via The International Film Festival Submission System (BrigitFest) – on the Web at Withoutabox.com. Withoutabox provides cost-saving, online entry to major film festivals throughout the U.S. and in Europe with one master entry form, allowing you and us to enter your film more quickly and with greater accuracy. This method is free and easy. Members who choose to join Withoutabox also get $5.00 off their Entry Fees, plus the advantages of Extended Deadlines and Online Press Kit submissions. Click over to Withoutabox, then follow instructions to apply online:CLICK HERE TO APPLY

2010 winning Animated short "The Magnitude of the Continental Divides" by Christopher Coleman

DIY FILM FESTIVAL NEWS archive

LOS ANGELES (Feb. 26, 2008)_ The engaging documentary "Buskers: For Love Or Money," an examination of the world of street performers as told by the talent, has been named Best Film of the 2008 DIY Film Festival, which concluded Saturday.

The film was screened at the American Film Institute as part of the 2008 DIY Convention, which took place Feb. 15-23 in Hollywood and honored the top independent films, music and books of the last year.

In "Buskers: For Love Or Money,” director Chad Taylor (himself a world-class street performer as a chainsaw juggler) gives the history and motivations of his fellow street performers, some well-known, others legends only in their particular square feet of concrete.

The depiction of the performers’ free-floating lifestyle, which combines talent, street savvy and psychology was shot over ten years in various parts of the world and features rare footage of some legendary street performances. For its introspective examination of a world many see but few understand, “Buskers” was unanimously acclaimed as Best Film by the DIY judges.

The other winners of the 2008 DIY Film Festival:

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: “Glue Boys,” Philip Hamer

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT: “The Tribe,” Tiffany Shlain

BEST DRAMATIC FEATURE: “Divergence,” Patrick J. Donnelly

BEST DRAMATIC SHORT: “Henchmen,” Christian Cantamessa

BEST COMEDY FEATURE: “The Book of Noah,” Drew Smith

BEST COMEDY SHORT: “Lowenstein’s A Terrorist,” Eric Siegelstein

BEST WORDL CINEMA: “Remember Me,” Benjamin Tan

BEST STUDENT FILM: “Some Apologies,” Adam Weldon

BEST ANIMATED SHORT: “Pull On Push Off,” Philip Leaman

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE: “Murderess,” Scott Coblio

BEST DIRECTOR: Todd Peters, “Let Others Suffer”

BEST SCRIPT: Adam Weldon, “Some Apologies

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CALL FOR ENTRIES

The International Film Festival Submission System

The DIY Film Festival prefers paperless entries submitted via The International Film Festival Submission System (BrigitFest) – on the Web at Withoutabox.com. Withoutabox provides cost-saving, online entry to major film festivals throughout the U.S. and in Europe with one master entry form, allowing you and us to enter your film more quickly and with greater accuracy. This method is free and easy. Members who choose to join Withoutabox also get $5.00 off their Entry Fees, plus the advantages of Extended Deadlines and Online Press Kit submissions. Click over to Withoutabox, then follow instructions to apply online:CLICK HERE TO APPLY

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